C'est La Vie (Vincent)

[Angel Simons]

Angel sat on a rock that was overlooking the Shrieking Shack. She could finally remember the name, and was overly pleased with herself. The sun was overly unbearable today, meaning that she was hiding in the shade under a large Willow Tree. She sighed and stared at the ground, glaring at her hair when it decided to fall in front of her eyes. Moving it aside and behind her ear, Angel leaned back against the trunk of the tree, smiling a little when she heard nothing but silence. That was what she wanted. It was relaxing for her.

For some strange reason, ever since she had come back to England, she had been a lot quieter. She had been thinking a lot more often, just about her past, but mostly her future. Not knowing what she was going to do here, she groaned. She couldn't think of a single thing. Still, Angel lived life in the moment. Why am I getting annoyed over the future? I have to focus on the present... She thought, this bringing a smile to her face. "C'est la vie..." She said softly to herself, the smile still on her face. Angel was much happier after that, and the smile stayed on her face for a few minutes. However, she soon got bored and started to hum quietly to herself.

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[Vincent Hiei]

Vincent sat amongst the leaves of the willow tree, smoking the last drags of his roll-your-own cigarette. His eyes were wide open, staring into nothing, smoking away mindlessly. He took a final drag and was awoken from his trance as he felt his fingers burn as the hot end approached his fingers.

“Shit...” he muttered to himself, tossing the butt to the side and rubbing his hands together. That feeling had started to approach him again, but he needed money in order to feed it again. Still rubbing his hands together, he sat wondering what he could do to solve this little dilemma. That was until he heard a small voice from under the tree. He looked down and saw a woman sat under the tree, humming to herself. Apparently she hadn’t heard him cursing his cigarette and somehow he had failed to notice her approach.

This was perfect. She didn’t give the impression she would be able to defend herself sufficiently. Vincent reached slowly into his jacket and produced a small blade, spinning it between his fingers.

He began to edge himself across the branch until he was on top of the woman and then dropped down, landing right by her side. In one swift motion he pushed her face away with his left hand so she could not see his face, and held her chin in the palm of his black fingerless gloves. His other hand quickly reached around the back of her head, placing the blade softly against her throat.

“I wouldn’t make much of a noise if I were you, Gorgeous,” whispered Vincent into her ear, his cheek pressed against hers and his beard tickling against her skin. “Suppose you’ve got a coin or two on you, haven’t you?”

[Angel Simons]

For some reason, Angel was not afraid. In fact, the situation was far too familiar for her to be afraid. "If you're trying to scare me, it's not going to work. Trust me, I've had far worse things done to me than you could even imagine..." She said, a small smile on her face. Angel Simons, this is just like you. He is less likely to actually hurt you if you act afraid. Don't talk back to him like you did with Jerami. That wasn't smart. Look at what he did to you, more than once. And Logan, too. Do you never learn, Angel? She thought to herself, however she chose to ignore the voice of reason within her once again. She had become good at that.

You've forgotten your training, Angel. You were a trained assassin, and you can't even get out of this. What has happened to you? You're becoming weak and useless, just like they said you would when you left. You've forgotten it all. There is no way you can escape this... You might as well just give him what he wants and get it over with, she thought, sighing, this time listening to the voice in her head. It saddened her. For once, the voice was right. She was becoming weak. "For your information, I have nothing on me at all. Feel free to check," she told him, only telling a small lie. That was another thing Angel had become good at. Lying.

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[Vincent Hiei]

Vincent smiled. She had guts. He didn’t like doing what he did but it was the easiest way. In fact it had become one of the many reasons why he despised himself so much.

He brought the blade down slightly and pressed harder, poking the end just above where her collarbones met. He did not do it hard enough to pierce the skin, however. He had no intention of hurting her but he had become an expert in making sure his victims never realised that.

“I think it’d be better if you checked for me,” he said quietly. “Empty your pockets and we’ll soon see how little you apparently have.”

Being so close to her his nostrils were filled with her scent. It smelled sweet and gave him an odd feeling in his stomach. He inhaled deeply through his nose and began to sing to himself under his breath, waiting for the woman to empty her pockets.

“Don’t want to see you crying little angel on my shoulder...” he sang in a barely audible fashion before snapping out of it. “Come on! I don’t have all day...”

[Angel Simons]

This caused Angel to laugh. In fact, she was laughing so hard that she leaned forward slightly and the blade pierced through her skin. She sat back upright with a small gasp. She ignored the blood, however. It didn't hurt her that much. "You really think I, Angel Simons, am going to empty my pockets for the likes of you? Get real. I have more sense than that," she explained, still laughing a little. She had been through this before. A little blade could do nothing to her compared to everything else. "I can't believe you actually thought I would empty my pockets for the likes of you. It's almost as if you gave me a choice as to whether I have my things stolen or not! Of all the things thieves should never do, that's it," she explained, still laughing. She couldn't seem to stop laughing. Every time she thought she could stop, she started again.

Angel, you're only going to make him angry. God only knows what will happen when he's angry... I somehow don't think he's one to mess with due to the knife at your collarbone, yeah? But, yet again, Angel ignored the voice and continued laughing, even though it really wasn't that funny. After a few more seconds, Angel stopped suddenly, her face becoming dead serious. "You want something off me, you're going to have to kill me, and the last person who did that really regretted it, yeah?" She asked, glaring straight ahead of her, only wondering how the person behind her was. She still wasn't afraid of him at all.

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[Vincent Hiei]

Vincent watched the blood trickle across her skin. His face remained still until he broke the stoicism by scrunching his mouth to the side before giving a slight shrug of his shoulders.

“... Suit yourself.”

Vincent grabbed a handful of her hair and brought her down flat on her front, using the hand with the blade to force her ace sideways into the ground. He mounted himself on her lower back and with his free hand began to grope at her trousers, searching her pockets.

“Have nothing on you?” he mocked as he felt something in her pocket. Reaching in, he fingered at the round object trying to get a good enough grip to take it. After some effort, he managed to hook his fingers around it, swiping it from her pocket and holding it in front of him.

Vincent stopped still, staring at the blue ball in his hand. He became momentarily entranced by the object yet he could not work out why. It was almost as if it was supposed to mean something to him. His grip of the woman weakened, without Vincent even realising, as he continued to stare at the ball.

[Angel Simons]

"Perve," Angel mumbled to herself, after feeling him grope around her trousers. She knew he wasn't, and he was only after what she had in her pockets, but it amused her to come up with odd insults. However, her eyes widened when he pulled it out of her pocket. "Give that back. It's worthless to you. Please?" She asked him, her eyes wide and pleading. Anything but that. Don't take that. Don't. See, Angel. You should have just done what I said... Instead you chose to ignore me... The voice said, however Angel cut it off halfway through, still only wanting back the one thing that meant the most to her in the world.

That blue ball was given to her by someone close to her. In almost a state of panic, Angel started mumbling to herself in French, although she was not quite sure what she was saying. It was something along the lines of "Please give it back, there's too many memories associated with that. Please. Please. Please." She could still remember the person who had given it to her so clearly. She often wondered what had happened to him, however then she remembered that they both led their own lives now. His was probably full of happiness, wife and children. Angel's was just a life that she lived. There was no point in dwelling on the past too much.

Noticing that his grip on her had loosened, Angel tried pushing the man off, however realising that she had no strength at all, she gave up. Angel was too afraid to have any strength at all. She couldn't lose that. Not to him. Not to anyone. "Please. It's worthless to you. Just a small, blue ball. There's no point in you having it. It has emotional value to me. Please give it back?" She begged, tears welling up in her eyes. Calm down, Angel. You're proving how weak you are here! Of course, Angel didn't listen to this voice. She just shut it out of her brain for the time being.

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[Vincent Hiei]

Vincent continued to stare. Her heard the woman’s pleas but they did not register.

“No more tears...” he muttered to himself, with his eyes narrowing, trying to place this feeling. He climbed off the woman and went and sat next to the willow tree with his legs crossed and his back to his victim. He still held the blade in his hand and in the other he sat staring at the blue ball with the words ‘No more tears’ scribbled on in handwriting that appeared to be oh so familiar to him.

[Angel Simons]

Angel, finding his behaviour odd, sat up shakily and crawled over to him. Probably not the wisest thing to do, Angel. She tapped him on the shoulder cautiously. "Are you okay?" She asked him with a shaky voice, still a little odd from the tears. She wondered what was causing him to react like this. It was certainly new to her and she didn't really know how to react. All she knew was that she wanted to find out why he was acting like this. Also, who he was. Angel crawled round to the side of him to look at his face, but first she looked at the ball in his hands.

Reaching out a shaking hand, Angel put a finger under his chin and turned his face towards hers so she could get a better look at it. At first she didn't recognise him, however as soon as she looked into his eyes she knew. Angel felt her own eyes widen and she quickly dropped her hand, crawling away from him a little. She didn't know if he'd remember her, or even recognise her, but she knew him. Why... Why has he become this? Why would he do this to people? She thought to herself. I told you it was a bad idea...

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[Vincent Hiei]

Vincent squinted, looking at her. He didn’t animate himself other than the movement that the woman had made him do. He still held the ball in his hand. Slowly he started to turn the ball between his thumb and his first finger. Taking a deep breath in, he put the blade away inside his jacket and tossed the ball at her feet.

“Keep it,” he said rummaging in his jacket. He produced a small tin, out of which he produce a pre-rolled cigarette. He moistened his lips and placed the end in his mouth before sparking the end and inhaling the sweet tobacco smoke deeply. With his feet flat on the ground, he lay back and continued to smoke. “It’s no use to me. Go on, piss off.”

He waved his cigarette hand signalling her to go, creating wisps of smoke.

[Angel Simons]

Angel nodded, picking up the small ball from her feet. She turned to the side of the hill and threw it as hard and as far as she could. She didn't want it now. Not after she knew what he had become. Not after she knew what he did. "I pity you," she said softly, not to him but to herself. She didn't know if he'd hear her or not. She then climbed a little way up the hill and sat there, under another tree, simply thinking about what could have happened to make him act this way. She had certainly never expected it of him. She couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever intentionally hurt anyone.

Angel reached down to her collarbone, wiping some of the blood off that was still seeping through. "You were a disappointment... Just like the rest of them. You said you wanted to prove me wrong and that I didn't always get the bad ones... You simply proved me right," Angel said to herself. She was only thinking it, but somehow the words had managed to come out. Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over, however she managed to shake them away for a minute or two. He had not shown any signs of recognising her. Maybe he forgot about you after all, just like you thought he did...

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[Vincent Hiei]

Vincent stayed lay where he was as she walked away. He heard her mumble something to herself. When she was a few paces away he crawled over to the tree she had been sat under when he attacked her. He sat and watched her sit down in front of another tree. He found that he could not take his eyes off her. He could still see her fairly clearly from where he was sat.

Slowly his hand started to reach into his jacket and produce another tin. He opened it and looked inside. Inside was a spoon, some powder and a syringe. He took the paraphernalia from the tin and began to mix what dregs of the substance he had left together. He removed his jacket and shirt, followed by his belt before beginning to tighten it around his arm.

[Angel Simons]

Angel watched him until she was unable to watch anymore. She was disgusted with what he was doing to himself. Sighing, she lowered her head and closed her eyes, feeling tears roll down her cheeks that she didn't know were there. She had managed to shake them away a moment ago, however this time she found it impossible and silent tears just kept pouring from her eyes. Angel, it was long ago. You have changed just as much as he has... Just not into that... You couldn't expect him to stay the same, could you? It was so many years ago, she thought to herself, sighing. This time she listened.

The voice in her head did make sense this time. She just wished she knew why he did that. How people had let him become like that at all. You could have stopped this if you hadn't disappeared... Even though he disappeared before you did. You can't blame yourself, Angel. Not at all. It's not you... She tried telling herself, but it only brought more tears to her eyes.

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[Vincent Hiei]

His teeth unclamped from the belt and it loosened from his arm leaving a bright red ring. The effects hit home fairly quickly and he felt his eyes begin to droop. He packed his tin away into his jacket and reached for another cigarette, sparking it up and laying himself shirtless against the tree.

‘Don’t want to see you crying little angel on my shoulder...’ he began to sing as his blinking rate slowed down.

'I want to see you flying back to heaven where you belong...’

Vincent found it increasingly difficult to lift his arm to take a drag on his cigarette but he still managed it, being the only movement he appeared capable of.

‘I said alright I’m gonna get you crying come hell or high water...’

Vincent tried to lift his arm again but it staggered before falling back to the floor causing the cigarette to fall from his grip.

‘Since you’ve been gone...’

[Angel Simons]

Angel gasped, standing up quickly and rushing over to make sure he was okay. Angel, what are you doing? You don't want to be involved in this. Besides, he obviously can't remember you. Why are you doing this? She asked herself, however she didn't listen. Not right now. She sat down next to him silently. "Are you okay?" She asked, being the ever caring person. Angel was always caring about others, even if she didn't like the person. Logan, for instance. He was in Azkaban, and yet she still cared, even after he had killed three of her children and tortured her more than once.

However, Angel's focus was not on Logan. She shook the figure in front of her lightly, repeating her last question. It was obvious that he was not okay, but she was asking really if he was going to be okay or not. Angel... This is the wrong sort of person to be getting involved with. What are you doing? The last time you got involved with someone like this, you got murdered. This isn't a good thing to do, even if you do know the person. You don't know this person. He's not the man you remember. Just leave him be. He is where he deserves. But Angel refused to listen to the voice. She didn't know why, but something was telling her that she had to stay.

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[Vincent Hiei]

Vincent opened one eye slightly.

‘Heh heh...’ he chortled to himself seeing the concerned face of the woman stood in front of him. ‘Couldn’t keep away, eh?’

She must have thought he had overdosed and slipped into unconsciousness. He had merely taken a large enough does to make him feel sleepy. He had learnt how to regulate how much drugs to take in accordance to his tolerance levels so he rarely put himself in any immediate danger by taking them.

‘You’re an attractive lass, you are,’ Vincent said with a slight slur, pulling himself into a seated position. He started to fumble around in his jacket, producing his cigarette tin. He took one the last one out and put it in his mouth. ‘Where are my manners? Would you like one?’ he slurred, offering her an empty tin before whipping it away without giving her chance to answer. ‘Just as well because I can’t afford to give you one anyway...’

Vincent continued fumbling with his jacket, trying to put the tin back in its rightful pocket.

[Angel Simons]

"You're a bastard, you are, Hiei," she yelled, glaring at the pathetic excuse of a man in front of her. She then slapped him as hard as she could around his face. "Call me attractive again, and I won't be hitting your face," she warned, rage overcoming her. She hadn't been that mad for a long time. "What the fuck happened to you?" Angel asked, standing up and beginning to walk away, feeling disgusted by the person he had become. She couldn't quite believe it was him.

Maybe you were mistaken. Maybe it's not him at all. But... Those eyes. I would recognise them anywhere, wouldn't I? It has been more than ten years. Maybe you just don't remember him as much as you thought you did. He certainly doesn't act like the person you remember him to be. He was just too different... Maybe you really were mistaken, she thought, shaking her head a little. I can't have been. I know it was him. I just know it! She sighed, continuing walking to the top of the hill this time. Angel sat under a different tree, but it was still shady. Humming quietly to herself, Angel refused to let more tears come to her eyes. She was a happy person, and he was simply a bastard. She would not let him get to her.

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[Vincent Hiei]

Vincent giggled to himself as he lay face down after being slapped clean across his face.

‘Oh that’s going to smart later on...’ he chuckled. He brought himself upright and began to rub his cheek and replacing the cigarette between his lips. It took him a couple of seconds to realise that the woman was no longer sat in front of him. He looked around and saw her walking away towards another tree.

‘Heh... women...’ he muttered to himself, finding his lighter and sparking the flame. Then he stopped. ‘She called me...’

He put his jacket on and stuffed his t-shirt into his jeans pocket in such a manner that it was half hanging out. Quickly, he got to his feet and stumbled after her, almost tripping several times along the way. When he got there, coughing slightly from the rush, he sparked up his cigarette, inhaled deeply, and waved a hand slightly trying to get her attention.

‘Excuse me,’ he began. ‘You know my name...’

[Angel Simons]

Wow, Angel. You could have some fun with him. Creep him out a little, yeah? Angel smirked. "Vincent Hiei, you are twenty eight years old, your father died and your mother brought you up, you're halfblood... Blah blah blah," she told him, waving her hand at him to show she was now uninterested. "And I would appreciate it if you didn't smoke around me, thank you." She turned her head up to look at him, catching his eyes, however she quickly glanced down at the ground again.

She sighed, yet again. "Is that all or do you care to annoy me with something else?" She asked, glancing up at him again.

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[Vincent Hiei]

‘I’d appreciate it if I didn’t smoke around me either,’ replied Vincent, waving his hands in a slightly inebriated manner. ‘But that isn’t going to happen so you’ll just have to put up with it.’

Vincent smirked to himself, until a confused look struck his face. Then he remembered what they had been talking about. He sighed slightly, and flicked the cigarette away before dropping into a seated position, hugging his knees.

‘I felt like I should remember you before,’ he said in a soft voice as he swayed slightly from side to side. ‘There was something so familiar about you. Your smell... And you know so much about me.’

He looked at her and squinted his eyes, still swaying, then fell backwards so he was laying flat on the floor with his legs splayed.

‘I hope you realise that was my last cigarette...’

[Angel Simons]

Angel smiled to herself a little. "Good," she replied, still smiling a little. At least he won't do it around me anymore... "Indeed, you should remember me, however I don't expect you to. It's been over ten years, Hiei. Not that many people do remember me, and I certainly don't expect you to. Hell, even if I told you my name you wouldn't remember me," she said, laughing a little. Funnily enough, Angel didn't care that much if he didn't remember her. Surprisingly, she cared more about whether her friends remembered her than if he did. Besides, it was fun to mess with him.

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[Vincent Hiei]

‘I might remember,’ Vincent objected, picking up a twig from the floor, placing it between his lips and sucking it like a cigarette. ‘I don’t take kindly to the implication that I’m a complete loon with no memory.’

Vincent lay there for a couple of seconds seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was trying to smoke a stick and not a cigarette.

‘Try me,’ he said eventually. ‘Tell me your name and we’ll soon see who the forgetful one is... Or have you forgotten it?’ He chuckled slightly to himself, lifting his head to look at her with the twig dangling from his lips.

[Angel Simons]

"Oh yes, that was hilarious," she sighed, shaking her head. "Angel Simons," she told him, still doubting that he'd remember her. It wouldn't matter to her whether he remembered her or not. She wasn't pleased with what he'd become at all. It wouldn't be the same as before, and that's what she'd want it to be. Angel didn't even want to associate with the person before her, stealing and hurting others. She couldn't even imagine doing that to someone. She wondered how he actually could.

He won't remember, Angel. It doesn't matter though. You're better off without him. He's obviously no good for you. Look at him. He's changed too much for you, and you've changed as well. I don't think you're as suited for him as you used to be... Angel realised that, for once, the voice in her head had a valid point. They had both changed. Him for the worse, her for the better. "You've changed so much... What happened to you?" She asked in such a soft voice that it would be a miracle if he heard her. She figured she'd ask again in a little while, after he finally realised who she was.

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[Vincent Hiei]

Angel Simons...

The stick fell lifeless from his mouth. He remembered. In fairness he had never forgotten. Maybe his head just refused to let him realise who she was. He looked into her eyes and a jump began to develop in his throat. He remembered the ball. The day they met in the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts and he had cheered her up and they had fallen for each other almost instantly.

‘Excuse me,’ he coughed, getting to his feet and clearing the lump in his throat without much success, leaving his voice sounding shaky. ‘You’ve got the... um... you’ve got the wrong person. That’s not my name... I don’t recognise you...’

He turned and started to walk away. He was lying of course. He did know her. The truth was he hadn’t stopped thinking about her. But he knew how much of a mess he had become and he was embarrassed and ashamed. Part of him wanted her to follow him but another part of him hoped she would stay put. He was not sure if he could bear for her to see him like this.

‘I’m sorry...’

[Angel Simons]

Angel stood up. She didn't know what had come over her, but she knew she didn't want him to leave. She wanted to stop him, to find out why, to talk to him some more. She just wanted to know why. "I have not got the wrong person, Mr Hiei. I would know you anywhere," she said softly, lightly grabbing his wrist. "You do know me... You remembered me... Otherwise you wouldn't have given me that reaction. Tell me why. Please, Vincent. Just... Why did you act like this?" She asked, turning him to face her.

She stared into his eyes, looking for an honest answer for once. "You should be sorry. Look at what you've done to yourself. How could you? Why would you? Of all the people I'd expect to turn into something like this, you were not one of them. In fact, you were probably the last person I would have thought doing this... How could you?" She asked, anger shining through the last sentence, tears welling up in her eyes once again.

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[Vincent Hiei]

‘You think I like who I am?’ he asked, looking straight back into her eyes without blinking. ‘I do what I do to get by. Not because I get some cheap thrill out of jumping people and taking their money. I hate it. But you know what? Everything I own is stood right in front of you.’

Vincent lowered his head in shame letting his unkempt hair fall over his face.

‘I’ve had nobody but myself for like ten years and granted I’ve probably not dealt with it in the best way,’ he continued. He brought his head up to meet Angel’s gaze. ‘I’m still me.’

[Angel Simons]

Angel looked at him for a moment, as if questioning in her head if it really was him or whether he was just saying it, however she was unable to come to a conclusion. "Are you still you? I don't actually think you are... I'm not too sure. How are you still you? I find it hard to believe that any ounce of you still lies in there somewhere. You've changed too much for me to believe that. In fact, if it weren't for your eyes I wouldn't have recognised you at all..." She said, feeling bad that she wasn't around for so long.

Angel felt that it was partially her fault. It would never have happened if she was around. She had certainly got enough money for the both of them, and she could have stopped him from turning into this. She hated what he'd become. "How can you still be you? I can't even think of one thing that could possibly be the same about you... Prove to me that you really are the same person, just deep down."

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[Vincent Hiei]

‘I’ve become a liar and a cheat... a real scoundrel,’ said Vincent. ‘It has been my experience that even if I do try to do something to prove it you’re not likely to believe me anyway because of who I appear to be.’

He started to reach inside his jacket to get a cigarette but realised he had none.

‘And even so... where would I even begin to prove it?’

[Angel Simons]

"See, that just makes it seem like you're no longer who I thought you were even more. It makes it seem like you have nothing to prove it with, and that means that you really are different. It wouldn't hurt you to at least try and prove me wrong. Still, I suppose I can't make you. You're definitely not who I thought you were, Hiei. From now on, just stay away from me. You're bad news, you are," she told him, regretting everything she said, however she still stood up and started to walk away from him. Her head was low, and a million thoughts were racing through her head.

Without someone there, he may get even worse, Angel. Do you really just want to leave him? Besides, what's all this about you not wanting to hold grudges anymore? Surely this cannot be an exception. Maybe you could make him like he used to be. Maybe, just maybe, he really is still there after all, and he just needs someone to help him...

Angel turned around to face him, a smile on her face. "Oi, Hiei," she called, her smile warming up a little. "Are you coming or not? We have things to catch up on!" Her smile was now a lot bigger and a lot warmer than it was before. It was almost like the ones she used to give him. She realised that her head was right, and she wanted to help as much as she could.

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[Vincent Hiei]

He got a funny feeling in his stomach as soon as he realised that she wanted to stick around, but that did not seem to displace the shame he still felt, almost as if he was no worthy of her company. She deserved to be seen with clean and smarter dressed... not some drug ridden pickpocket.

Vincent smiled back at her. Maybe it was not as big a smile as the one Angel had thrown at him but it was a genuine smile none the less. He stroked his beard slightly then started talking towards her, checking his t-shirt was still securely in his pocket.

Vincent was unaware that he was always walking at least a pace behind Angel, presumably out of habit.